For divorced parents in Pennsylvania, the summer is the perfect time to spend extra quality time with your children that you may not get while they are in school because of both your work schedule and their school schedule. During the school year both the parents and the children are extremely busy. These days most children not only go to school all day, but they also partake in various after school activities, so parents don’t really get to enjoy much free time with their kids. With summer about a month away, we’ve decided to provide parents with some information about PA child custody arrangements during the summer months.

As mentioned, whether it is ballet, science club, or football, kids don’t have the opportunity to just relax and be kids. Even over the summer kids are usually signed up for some sort of camp or daily activity that will keep them busy, but they do have over two months of to relax with no school related obligations. Though you may have a set child custody agreement for the school year, Pennsylvania law gives parents some options and flexibility when it comes to setting a custody schedule over their children’s summer vacation.

The first option is sticking to the norm. If the parents are content with the regular schedule that has been entered into an order by a Pennsylvania family law court, they can choose to continue with this schedule during the year. This option will likely be attractive because it will keep both the kids and the parents in an already established routine.

The second option is allowing one parent to keep the children for the entire summer break. This option may seem like one parents would be hesitant to choose, but it is likely an appealing option for a parent who lives out of Pennsylvania or further away and does not see their children much during the school year. This would of course be difficult for the “non-summer” parent but an agreement can be made via a Pennsylvania family law court to allow for visitation and may be a few weekend trips back to see the other parent.

The third option is equally dividing the summer break. The parents must agree upon who will have the children during the first half of the summer and who will have them during the second half. The court encourages parents to alternate each year that has the children during each half, but the parties can agree otherwise and just stick to the same schedule.

If none of these options seem attractive and a parent wants to set a complete different summer custody schedule, Pennsylvania family law courts allow you do so as long as both parents are in agreement and the proposed arrangement is in the best interest of the child.

If you have any questions about Pennsylvania child custody or would like to enforce or modify your current child custody agreement, contact our Pittsburgh child custody lawyers at Lisa Marie Vari & Associates.

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